


Do You Know 'You Are My Sunshine'?

by DixieDale



Category: Clan O'Donnell - Fandom, Garrison's Gorillas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-25
Updated: 2018-06-25
Packaged: 2019-05-28 11:49:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15048296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DixieDale/pseuds/DixieDale
Summary: It was just a gig with his brother and some of the others, playing for a Clan party.  He'd packed his bag, picked up his guitar case and headed out, figuring to be back at The Cottages with Garrison and the team in a couple of days.  Little did he know his life was about to change dramatically.





	Do You Know 'You Are My Sunshine'?

**Author's Note:**

> After the war, when Garrison and the team are pursuing their 'consultation' business. Douglas, Meghada's younger brother, joined the team some time ago and lives at The Cottages when he's not off doing chores for Garrison or the Clan.
> 
> Garrison's team involved by alliance, make an appearance at the finale, are involved by association certainly. Feel free to skip if you require more.
> 
> Song - '(Do You Know) 'You Are My Sunshine''  
> Performed by The Statler Brothers  
> Written by Don and Harold Reid  
> Partial Lyrics at end

A Clan party celebrating the Vernal Equinox and the matings and Bondings that had taken place since the Winter Solstice; such events always called for music and he'd gotten the call at The Cottages right after he'd gotten back from that little 'errand' Craig had sent him on, the one that almost caught him a cosh upside the head from that irate old lady. Well, alright, he'd had three days of downtime, three lovely days and nights. He smiled in recollection; good food, good conversation, good, well, what could he say? He and Lizzie and Chief and Casino, they had some good times together, suited each other well. No, he wasn't Bonded to any of them, but Bondings didn't come along for everyone; that didn't mean you didn't find those you were compatible with, could enjoy life with. He'd known from early on that Casino was one of those he could wake up alongside and have a smile on his face, even when he'd been too young to make a move at that time. Well, that had changed with time, and he was well contented with what he'd found, didn't go searching for more. If the Sweet Mother decided on another direction, well, he'd accept that as well, of course Still, in some ways he regretted not having a few more nights there at The Cottages before he headed out again.

But he was happy to get the call too. He really liked playing with Michael and the others; sometimes he sang, and that was fun too, but it was Michael who had the real voice, the one people flocked to listen to. And when Douglas just played the guitar, he could let his attention stray, watch the crowd, see the smiling faces, see everyone having a good time. He liked that a lot, he always had. No, he'd never want to be a full time musician, but sometimes, it was just so satisfying! Like now. They'd run through a lot of their favorites and the crowd was now calling out requests. He and the others had traveled a lot, the States, Europe, Ireland, Scotland, South America and elsewhere and they knew one heck of a lot of songs. 

Suddenly he caught a whiff of something enticing, a combination of heather and thyme and vanilla, mixed with musk; he found himself thinking of The Cottages, waking in the morning to the smell of coffee and his sister's sweet bread just coming out of the oven, all warm and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. It was early evening, though; the buffet wouldn't be set out for another hour or two, and anyway, it was a morning-smell, not an evening-smell that caught at his senses now, lured him. Looking around gained him no new information, nothing that would tell him where that scent was coming from. It teased at his senses, all of his senses, and he felt the hair on the back of his neck go up in anticipation.

The voice, that pulled at him almost as much as that scent did - a voice calling from the crowd during a lull, "do you know 'You Are My Sunshine'?" and Michael gave the signal and they started in on the song, one they'd learned in Louisiana during one of their trips right before America had joined in the war effort. Well, most of them started on the song; Douglas found himself setting his guitar beside his stool, getting up and looking over the crowd, searching out the source of that voice, that indescribable voice - not sweet, not husky, not shrill certainly - no, just an indescribable, alluring voice coming from the crowd of happy people. Since the voice had stopped, he followed the scent, moving faster as the scent retreated, further and further as the song ended, ending up at the far side of the meadow, almost at the woodline.

There was no one in between anymore, and he could see clearly, even with the rapidly approaching night. Well, he WAS Clan, designated Wolf at the end of his spirit quest, though he rarely visited that aspect of who he was, finding the human part satisfying enough for most purposes, so his vision was just as sharp as his sense of smell. 

Medium height, extremely slender, putting him in mind of Goniff in some ways, especially that extreme inner caution he'd so often sensed in the little pickpocket. Russet hair reaching just above the earlobes, cut jagged and uneaven as if someone had hacked at it with a dull knife; huge slanted brown eyes; pert nose and a mouth rivaling Goniff's in its width. A deep wariness enveloped the figure, along with clothes that just could NOT have been her, his? own. The legs of those trousers would have dragged the ground if they hadn't been rolled up, and the top was tied at the waist with what was probably clothesline, and even that not tightly.

Douglas felt a smile coming to him, a smile of contentment, of anticipation. {"Mine!"} he thought, letting out a deep sigh. "Mine!" When he saw the figure's eyes go wide with alarm, and turn to run, he realized he'd spoken that last out loud. It took only a moment to get rid of his clothes, Change and follow after, never letting that shape, now so much smaller than before, never letting that scent escape him.

Morning came, and he leaned back, smiled at the warm figure curled next to him. "And just what IS your name?"

Those warm brown eyes laughed at him, as the soft voice murmured back, "I'm called Jess, at least . . ." and shrugged with a wry grin.

And he grinned back, "yes, I know. And in this form, I am called Douglas. Jess. I like that, it suits you. Or maybe I will just call you Sunshine. That's what you are, you know, my Sunshine," and he moved closer and there was no longer any space between them, and they were fine with that.

If Michael was surprised when Douglas showed up at the car with an extra passenger, he didn't show it, just gave a knowing grin at the introduction, and a warm hug and the words, "welcome, Jess. It's been overlong a wait for you, you know. We're pleased you finally made it." The others were equally welcoming, and if Jess was a little shy at first, well, that was only to be expected.

Michael DID ask his younger brother, "are you going to call ahead," and laughed at the mischievious and yet slightly apprehensive look he got in return.

"And say what?? "Oh, by the way . . ." No, I'll take them in a rush and let Meghada get everything sorted out. You know her, nothing much bowls her over."

"Yes, well, what about the others - Casino, Chief, Lizzie?"

And Douglas looked over at his Jess, with pride and possessiveness well mixed. "Jess is mine and mine alone; that's the way we both want it. As for the rest, well, that's being left up to me; we'll see. It seems Jess isn't quite so possessive as I am, or maybe is just more generous. We'll see," and the smile was genuine and confident that all would be well.

And if the surprise was real when Jess was introduced, the situation was clear, at least the connection between the two. Meghada took them aside for a quiet chat, and a section in the new expansion opened up, two bedrooms with a small sitting room in between. Changes might come in the future, but for now, it provided each of them space to use as they saw fit til they got comfortable enough with each other to WANT changes. And an equally quiet chat between Douglas and Casino and Chief and Lizzie got all that settled into place as well, at least for now, them all being content with the results, the possibilities. Time would tell how it would all work out, and he'd been right, Jess was comfortable however that might be. Being his Sunshine, that was enough, more than enough for Jess.

Meghada took Jess aside for measurements and ideas on clothing preferences, in the meantime offering a loan from some of Goniff's things, which fit amazingly well. They were off in a backroom deciding on the basics when Lizzie asked a question that had her if not puzzled, at least mildly curious.

"So, is Jess a girl or a guy?"

And the faces that turned to her, considering that, had then turned to Douglas for the answer.

A knowing grin crossed his face. "Hasn't Meghada ever told you how the Clan feels about that? Jess is Mine, my Sunshine; anything else, it's really only relevant to us, and then only as a matter of mechanics."

And they laughed and nodded, knowing that was more true than not, especially with the Clan.

"Still," said Lizzie, "it would help with the pronouns," and a warm chuckle came from the doorway, as a sleek, yet decidedly feminine figure, entered.

"In that case, you can make it 'she', Lizzie," Douglas told her, getting up to sweep his Jess, his Sunshine into his arms. "Just for the sake of those pesky pronouns."

 

Song - 'Do You Know 'You Are My Sunshine?''  
Partial Lyrics at the end:  
Sung by The Statler Brothers, written by Don and Harold Reid

Border to border and ocean to ocean,  
I still look for her everyplace.  
Chasing the sunshine,  
Each and every night I'm searching every crowd for her face.  
She was gone just as quick as the song that she asked for,  
Taking my sunshine away.  
But someday when I finally look down and see her,  
I know just what I'm going to say.  
Do you know, you are my sunshine.  
Do you know what your smile did to me  
Do you know, you are my sunshine,  
And it looks like you're always going to be.


End file.
